The Egyptian government views cooperation with African nations as a “top priority,” said Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, whose country concluded training workshops for 32 envoys from 11 African states, in addition to India, Armenia and Sri Lanka, in partnership with the World Food Program (WFP) through the Luxor Coordination Center for Sharing Knowledge.
Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation Al-Sayed Al-Quseir handed over the training certificates in a ceremony on Tuesday, in the presence of Hamdi Loza, Egyptian Deputy Foreign Minister for African Affairs, WFP Director Praveen Agrawal, and a number of African ambassadors.
Underlining the necessity of cooperation with international organizations and development partners, Al-Quseir noted that his country was implementing major agricultural projects, saying the sector was one of the most important lifelines for world economies.
Agriculture is no longer only crucial for food security, but has also become a national security factor, according to the minister.
He added: “We are pleased to train our colleagues from African countries and to present the Egyptian experience and the tremendous development that agriculture has witnessed over the past seven years...”
Al-Quseir pointed to an agreement with the World Food Program to develop the Luxor Coordination Center for Sharing Knowledge into a training platform for all African countries.
For his part, Agrawal said: “The WFP and UN agencies believe that the ambitious and the transformed agenda of 2030 of the Sustainable Development Goals cannot be achieved without the ideas, energies, and tremendous support of the countries of the global, where we live in.”
On Monday, Madbouli met with a delegation from members of the Governance Council of the Arab Africa Trade Bridges (AATB) Program.
In remarks, the Egyptian premier stressed that strengthening cooperation with Arab and African partners was a “top priority” for the government, in light of the great health, economic and social challenges facing the world.
He added that Egypt would continue to contribute to the African continent’s efforts to achieve sustainable development, and help unlock the huge potential of African cooperation through various multilateral trade agreements and economic cooperation platforms that enhance partnerships.
